Plant Domestication in Indus Valley Civilisation
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IJHS | VOL 55.4 | DECEMBER 2020 HISTORICAL NOTES Plant Domestication in Indus Valley Civilisation R. B. Mohantya, T. Pandab,∗ a Ex-Reader in Botany, Satya Bihar, Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar. b Department of Botany, Chandbali College, Chandbali. (Received 07 April 2019; revised 01 October 2020) Abstract The paper tries to document about 54 plant species including cereal, millets, pulses, vegetables, medicines and some other economically important species of Indus Valley civilization. The plant species discovered during the archaeo-botanical excavations not only indicate the food habit of the people inhabiting the region but also help in biological reconstruction of the past environment, ecological systems and the climatic changes that took place during the period. Key words: Archaeo-botanical excavations, Harappan civilization, Mohenjo-daro. 1 Introduction The early Harappan community had turned into large urban centers by 2600 BCE with well-developed town Indus Valley was a Bronze Age civilization extending planning, water supply and drainage system, impressive from north-east Afghanistan to Pakistan and north-west dock yards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms and India. It is also known as Harappan civilization (McIn- protective walls. Indus civilization at its peak (2600–1900 tosh 2008; Shinde et al. 2019) which thrived from 3200 BCE) had a population of about four to six million peo- to 1900 BCE (Possehl 1992; Lal 1997; Madella and Fuller ple (Desai 2019) and Mohenjo-daro was the greatest city 2006; Agarwal 2007; Kenoyer 2008; Weber et al. 2010; in the world with around 40,000 inhabitants (Mcintosh Pokharia et al. 2014). First excavated in 1921, over 1500 2008; Nipper 2018). The people had developed new tech- cities and small settlements of this civilization have been niques, had great accuracy in measurement, weight and discovered till date that flourished in the basins of Indus, measures, trade and transport, ceramics, handicraft, met- one of the major rivers of Asia and Ghaggar-Hakra (an- allurgy, pottery, seals, figurines, ornaments etc. They cient Saraswati) which once coursed through north-west were wearing colourful robes, jewellery fitted with gold India and eastern Pakistan (Bisht 1989, 1997; Sonawane and precious stones. There was entertainment, toys, art 2002; Pokharia et al. 2011, 2014). Along with ancient and culture and paintings. The archaeologists have dis- Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of the three early civ- covered concrete evidence of cultivation and food pro- ilizations of old world spreading over a vast area of about duction, rain water harvesting and water storage systems 480000 square km in diverse geographical regions (Agar- (Bisht 1991; Wright 2010; Vaity and Tawde 2017; Baba et wal 2009; Pokharia and Srivastava 2013). The major cen- al. 2018; Nipper 2018). But they were specifically inter- ters of Harappan civilization are Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, ested to know the type of food, and miscellaneous uses of Dholavira, Ganweriwala and Rakhigarhi. plants, which enabled them to survive and develop such a vast and developed civilization. The type of plant remains DOI: 10.16943/ijhs/2020/v55i4/158289 excavated like carbonized and silicified seeds, fruits, wood *Email: [email protected]. HISTORICAL NOTES IJHS | VOL 55.4 | DECEMBER 2020 charcoals, phytoliths, traces of husk or glumes, fiber im- 3 Plants used in eastern region prints on pottery and burnt mud clods etc. were taken into account which provides evidence to reconstruct the his- The culture moved from lower Indus to east and spread to tory of plant domestication and agriculture in Harappan the extinct Ghaggar-Hakra river in regions of Rajasthan, sites (Vishnu-Mittre 1972; Saraswat 1986, 1992; Meadow Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh (Dikshit 1989, 1996; Pokharia 2008; Pokharia et al. 2011). The 1980). The important sites in this region were Kaliban- plant remains has been analyzed and the results indi- gan in Rajasthan; Rohira, Mahorana and Sanghol in Pun- cate that the Harappans were sophisticated in their use jab; Banawali, Kunal, Balu and Farmana in Haryana and of plants for vegetables, culinary and medicinal purposes Hulas and Alamgirpur in western Uttar Pradesh. from third millennium BCE to second half of second mil- Food grains unearthed from most of these sites are lennium BCE. For the convenience of study, the archaeo- hulled and naked barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), field scientists have divided the Indus valley area under three pea (Pisum arvense L.) and chick pea (Cicer arientinum sections viz. (i) Indus valley in present day Pakistan; (ii) L.) (Vishnu-Mittre and Savitri 1982). There was dis- in the eastern region of Indian sub-continent, and (iii) the covery of hulled barley (H. vulgare L.), dwarf wheat southern region (Pokharia and Srivastava, 2013). (Triticum sphaerococcum Perc.), emmer wheat (T. dicoc- cum Schrank ex Schübl), jowar millet (Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench), lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) and horse 2 Indus Valley region in Pakistan gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.) from Ro- hira. There have been clear evidence of cultivation of The major sites studied in this region for the study of plant horse gram, sesame and indicating the practice of mixed use and food economy were Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, cropping pattern. Timber taxa discovered are Calligonum Chanu-daro and Pirak settlements (Stapf 1931; Luthra sp., Ficus (Ficus glomerata Roxb.), sissoo (Dalbergia sis- 1941; Mackay 1943; Costantini 1996; Possehl 2002; Bates soo Roxb.), Boswellia serrata Triana & Planch., Tamarix 2019). Principal food grains discovered from these sites dioica Roxb. ex Roth, Morus indica L., Salvadora persica belong to species of wheat (Triticum aestivum L., T. com- L., Terminalia sp., Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth., Anogeissus pactum Host. and T. sphaerococcum Perc.) and six rowed latifolia (Roxb. ex DC.) Wall. ex Guill. & Perr. and Tec- barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). There are also evidence of tona grandis L.f. Wood charcoals of Acacia sp., Dalber- consumption of rice (Oryza sativa L.) from Pirak, sesame gia sp. and Tectona sp. have also been identified during (Sesamum indicum L.) from Harappa, linseed (Linum usi- the investigation. One important and interesting finding tatissimum L.) from Pirak and Indian mustard (Brassica during the survey is regarding the use of herbal sham- juncea (L.) Czern. & Coss) from Chanu-daro. The evi- poo from Banawali, which was a mixture of soap nut dence of use of grape (Vitis vinifera L.), melon (Cucumis (Sapindus emarginatus Vahl) and shikakai (Acacia sinu- sp.) and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been dis- ata (Lour.) Merr. The evidence of use of garlic (Allium covered from Harappa. There was also knowledge about sativum L.) has been found in Balu. pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) and coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) as evident from the shapes of discovered earthenware vases (Saraswat 1992). A pendant was also 4 The Southern region excavated with the shape of a lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.) leaf. There was discovery of cotton (Gossyp- The southern region of Indus valley civilization covers ium arboreum L.) fibre indicating the type of clothes used Kutch and Saurashtra portions of Gujrat and some ar- by the inhabitants. Moreover, coffins made with scented eas of Maharashtra. The important settlements include wood of deodar (Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don and rose- Khirsara, Rojdi, Rangpur, Lothal, Surkotada and Kun- wood (Dalbergia latifolia Roxb.) indicate their knowledge tasi. The crop plants discovered from Rojdi were barley, about various uses of wood. There was also use of wooden finger milletEleusine ( coracana L. Gaertn.), pearl millet mortar made from jujube wood (Ziziphus sp.) for pound- (Pennisetum glaucum L.) (R. Br.), sorghum (Sorghum bi- ing of grains (Chawdhury and Ghosh 1951; Chawdhury color L.) Moench, lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus), grass 1970; McIntosh 2008; Krishnamurthy and Bahadur 2017). pea (Lathyrus sativus L.), green gram (Vigna radiata L.) 350 IJHS | VOL 55.4 | DECEMBER 2020 HISTORICAL NOTES (R. Wilczek), field pea (Pisum arvense L.), linseed (Linum 5 Conclusion usitatissimum L.), rape seed (Brassica campestris Hook. f. & Thomas), Echinochloa sp., foxtail millet (Setaria italica Plant remains recovered from archaeological sites offer L.) P. Beauv and little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth. precious insights on past landscapes, human adaptation Ex Roem. & Schult.). Fruit remains of jujube and cu- to definite climate and the relationship between humans cumber (Cucumis sp.) have also been discovered. A large and their environment. The food choice, their produc- number of weeds and wild taxa have also been unearthed tion and distribution are most complex indicators of so- like Amaranthus sp., Andropogon sp., Chenopodium sp., cial life and thus a study of foods consumed by ancient Dactyloctenium sp. and Eragrostis sp. people in a region provides many clues about their life style. Moreover, the discovery and identification of plant At Lothal, remains of Oryza, wood charcoals of Aca- remains from geological specimens and their use are help- cia sp., Adina cordifolia (Roxb.) Brandis and Albizia sp. ful in the biological reconstruction of past environment, were detected. The timbers of neem (Azadirachta indica ancient ecological systems and climate respectively. A. Juss.), teak (Tectona grandis L.f.), red sandalwood (Pte- The archaeological findings suggest that the Harap- rocarpus santalinus L.f.) and Tamarix sp have also been pan people procured and domesticated